The key facts
- Unemployment in Finland reached 10.5% in September — first place in the EU (Eurostat)
- The rate held at 10.4% all summer; a year earlier it was 10%
- The EU average is 6.2%, with the best situation in Czechia (2.8%)
Finland once again tops the EU unemployment ranking
In September, Finland's unemployment rate reached 10.5%, once again the highest figure among European Union countries. These figures come from Eurostat, the European statistical service, as reported by Life.ru. Employment problems have persisted for several months: throughout the summer the rate stood at 10.4%, and compared with September of last year it rose by 0.5 percentage points — back then, 10% of the economically active population were without work.
Context of the ranking and the reasons
Second place in the ranking goes to Spain with 10.3%, followed by Sweden with 8.7%. The EU average unemployment rate is 6.2%, while the most favorable situation is in Czechia, where the rate does not exceed 2.8%. Thus, unemployment in Finland is more than four percentage points above the EU average. The country first took first place in the EU on this indicator in November 2025, as reported by the broadcaster Yle. Experts link the prolonged difficulties to the economic recession and the restructuring of the labor market, which have reduced employment opportunities.
The factor of the border closure with Russia
According to the outlet, additional problems arose after trade ties with Russia were severed amid European Union sanctions; Finnish companies in logistics, the woodworking industry, the hotel business and tourism felt this especially keenly. Life.ru previously reported that the closure of the border with Russia turned into problems for Finland's border regions: according to Jauri Varvikko, chairman of the Finnish organization Naapuriseura, the decline in the flow of Russian tourists negatively affected the employment of local residents, and some tourism and small businesses ceased operations.
